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Bulletin: April 7, 2013

10:15 AM *Nettie Smith will be sharing her journey around race and racial issues in the meetingroom. Nettie was one of the few white children in an African-American neighborhood in south Minneapolis. She taught for 35 years in inner city schools in Minneapolis, and currently works with two non-profits: Winds of Change and the African-American Registry.
*The Friendly Philosophers will meet at in the lower level.
*Anyone who wishes to read and talk about the Book of Acts may meet with Jim Bruener in the conference room.

All are welcome to the monthly Sunday potluck lunch today at the rise of semi-programmed worship. Please come even if you didn’t bring food today! Most social times at the Meeting are do-it-yourself affairs. Look for ways to help the effort – get more forks, glasses, etc, when needed, offer to make more coffee, help clear and wipe tables, take up a dish towel to dry . . . Many hands make light work for everyone!

New committee lists and copies of the budget are out and have been distributed to committee clerks. Clerks, please check your file in the blue box for this year’s approved list and then throughout the year for on-going communication.

Tech Updates:
*Frank Bacon has been working to improve audibility in the meetingroom. A hearing assist system is now available. This system, with individual FM devices for people who are hard of hearing, will help people hear what is said into the microphones during worship. If you need an introduction to using one of these devices, see Frank today.
*Wireless Internet Access – WiFi is now available at the meetinghouse!

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Worship in Bloomington is this Tuesday, April 9th, at the home of Louise, 7:00. All are welcome to come!

Upcoming adult programs at 10:15:
*April 21st: Terry Kayser will speak about the Alternatives to Violence Project.
*April 28th: Sharon Goens, American Friends Service Committee Director of the Twin Cities Healing Justice Program, will lead a circle discussion about healing justice. She will encourage group reflection on micro and macro levels of healing and justice, talk about the general direction of AFSC’s program, and give suggestions as to how to get involved.
*May 5th: Barbara Coffin, born in 1920, has seen ninety-three years of race relations change taking place. Working her way from the racial ditties of her southern grandmother to a gradually expanding world of inter-racial contacts to inter-racial friendships, she still wants to learn more. She will share her experiences along the way.

On April 28th, semi-programmed worship will be planned by those in First Day School. Plan to come!

Zephyra and Roland Shepherd Scholarship applications are due May 1st. This scholarship for post-secondary education was started by the Shepherds in 1977. Selection criteria and applications are on the long table in the east hall. Applications should be mailed back to the meetinghouse or put in the Shepherd Scholarship file in the blue box.

A great opportunity to learn about Quakerism – newcomers and old-timers alike are welcome! The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will meet at 7:30 on Wed, April 17th, finishing before 9. Together, we will read Letters to a Fellow Seeker, “Silent Worship And The Inward Teacher.” You do not have to read it ahead of time.

Fred Harding and Mary Logue will speak about frac sand mining, here at 12:30, Apr 28th – what it is and what it means for communities in MN and WI. Bring a bag lunch, a cloth napkin, your own mug and cold lunch items to share.

Loaves and Fishes dinner April 30th: Come serve with metro Friends at Holy Rosary Church. Food prep, serving and clean-up as well as desert donations of healthy fruits and baked goods are all needed.

Northern Yearly Meeting Annual Session, Spiritual Hospitality, will be May 24-17 at Lion’s Camp in Rosholt, WI. Registration materials will be available in April. Registration deadline is May 4th. For more: northernyearlymeeting.org.

Doris Tyldsley will be performing April in Paris with the Bloomington Chorale Sat, Apr 13, 7:30 and Sun, Apr 14th, 4:00 at the Schneider Theater, 1800 W Old Shakopee Road. Tickets : 952-563-8575 or centerstage.com/sites/bloomington

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. We are starting a new fiscal year. Our approved budget is $115,523 – requiring contributions of $2,221.60 per week. If you would like to automate your contributions, please talk to Suzanne, receiving treasurer.

THE WIDER QUAKER COMMUNITY

The Girl from Birch Creek, a new documentary about Rosalie Wahl, will be shown as part of the Minneapolis and St Paul International Film Festival on Friday, April 12th at 2:00pm, St. Anthony Main Theater. Admission $6.

A Northern Yearly Meeting weekend retreat for Middle-School youth is planned for April 12-14 at the home of Betsy, Sharon and Audrey! Information is available on the internet, along with registration forms: northernyearlymeeting.org; then select Links; Northern Yearly Meeting Youth; NYM Middle School Web page.

Iowa Yearly Meeting Friends (Conservative) will have their mid-year Meeting, “The Bible in our Midst,” April 20-21 at Bear Creek Meetinghouse near Earlham, IA. A schedule and registration information is posted.

Healing Justice conversation with American Friends Service Committee: Tues, April 23rd, 5:30 pm and at the Mpls Urban League (2100 Plymouth Ave. N). Open forum, review of last year’s ideas and recommendations, an update on the AFSC work, and strategizing how to partner and prioritize next steps. Healing justice encompasses both healing from harm and the transformation from harm to wholeness. Its focus is on achieving fundamental balance and fairness for all communities. The principles of healing justice are responsibility, mutuality and love. Healing justice calls us to reject violence, domination and exploitation. In preparation for the April meeting, please consider: How can we build on what’s already happening in MN? What updates would you like to share with the group? How can we support each other? How can we work together to achieve a shared vision? Free but pre-registration is required: sgoens(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)afsc.org

Friends School of MN Plant Sale is coming. Volunteers are needed: FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com .

A Spring Nightingales gathering will be April 19-21 at beautiful, Beaver Creek Reserve outside Eau Claire WI. All who love to sing are welcome, including families with children. We bring food, organize food donations and share the cost of camp rental to keep things affordable. For more: jkmalone(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)comcast.net . All singers, all ages welcome.

The 2013 Friends General Conference Gathering, “At the Growing Edges of our Faith,” will be in Greeley, CO, June 30-July 6. Registration has begun – some workshops fill quickly! The Gathering is a dynamic, Spirit-filled week for all ages – spiritually nourishing and exciting and bringing a fuller sense of what it means to be a Quaker. Scholarships available. Program and registration information is on the elevator table; financial assistance info on the bulletin

Quaker Earthcare Witness will offer A “Gathering for Deeper Relationship with Earth” in conjunction with FGC. We will meet daily during the FGC Gathering’s morning workshop time to seek, deepen, and clarify leadings toward right
relationship and peaceful unity with nature and the planet. Opportunities to share in other contexts too, including activities in the QEW Nature Center. See “secure.quakerearthcare.org/fgc-2013-deeper-relationship-with-earth” for more.

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) action item: New legislation, S.Res.65, co-sponsored by nearly half the Senate, calls for the US to militarily support a hypothetical Israeli attack on Iran. Colonel Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, stated, “resolutions like S.Res.65 would call for the U.S. to surrender to another country the right to sweep the U.S. into a disastrous war.” Contact your senators. More at fcnl.org/issues/iran .

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Interfaith Call-in Day to Prevent Gun Violence Tuesday, April 9: Call your Senators and Representative Tues and insist that they act to prevent gun violence! Demand Congress enact universal background checks and / or bans on semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, gun trafficking, and improving access to mental health services at faithscalling.org or 1-888-897-0174. Text “FaithsCalling” to 877877 for a reminder message.

Don Bierle, president of Faith-Search International and author of Surprised by Faith, will be speaking Tuesdays, April 9th and 16th, 7-8:30 PM at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie (Crosstown and Shady Oak Rd) – for anyone who wonders why they should believe and for anyone who wonders why they do believe. No registration necessary. Recommended by Phil Simard; more at wooddale.org/article/faithsearch-seminar-provides-answers

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be in the office Wednesday from 2:00-5:00 and other times Wed, Thurs, Fri. and Sat.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon and Fri. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.